Reflections

THE WHATSAPP GENERATION The Whatsapp Generation… this is what we are. Regardless of age, in my opinion, it is fair to state that we, the people on Social Media in general and on Whatsapp particularly, can be termed as the Whatsapp Generation. Over the past week or ten days, two or three people have made the same telling comment, focused approximately on how Whatsapp has both brought people together, improved communication / information dissemination – as well as driven a wedge into relationships. This is a feeling gaining currency – that these technological capabilities are both enabling as well as functionally disabling we, the people as face to face meetings, even in families, become all too rare. Image Source: Pexels CATHARSIS These 2-3 comments lead me to a deep catharsis, a searching self-examination – and I had to agree on both aspects – the vitality of this medium to Modern   Life & Business, as well as its deep problems & ability to cause long-ter...

The Internet, The Digital Age and Social Media is all over and ubiquitous, at least in Modern Urban Life; everywhere you look, everywhere you turn - you can spot its presence, its over-arching and all-pervasive influence. Virtually every news media, every conversation on the topic of the internet - all of it focuses on its all pervasive presence and the impossibility of staying without the internet & social media  on a personal level. This is now getting into an entirely new field : The Smartphone. It is increasingly thought that the power of the smartphone can replace the old desk- and laps by a segment of thinkers; that the smartphone can do just about everything; that it is now as essentiality; that be it personal or professional, you cannot survive in the modern world without the smartphone; that it is not a luxury but a felt and present need, as essentiality. Life put in my path a chance, an opportunity to test both hypotheses, this all-prevalent under...

THE PROBLEM STATEMENT The title says it all. WhatsApped! That is exactly what I was, as I noted 1086 messages on my mobile one fine day. I was flabbergasted, and literally stunned, and more than a little irritated. I have seen 100 messages, 200, and even 300 in a day. But 1000 messages? That is much too much, any which way you look at it. There is simply no way I was going to read all 1086 messages, that much was certain.  Then my mind turned to my own addiction to WhatsApp - and I realised I was part of the problem, not a victim. I was both the problem as well as the victim of overload - not because I was a massive and active contributor to the stream of messages on a daily basis; but because I was an active reader of the jokes and other pointless messages. My participation was usually limited to Politics and news related issues, which make up less than 5% of the daily flow.  I further asked myself : was I really enjoying those jokes and messages? Answer : Some, I...